A fire ripped through a smoke shop Friday night in Escondido, destroying the business and damaging both a neighboring shop and a vehicle parked nearby, authorities said.
No injuries were reported in the fire, but an Escondido police patrol technician helping control traffic in the area was taken to a hospital for evaluation after her pickup truck was struck by a driver suspected of being intoxicated, a police lieutenant said.
The blaze was reported about 7:15 p.m. at Lung Doctor Smoke Shop on South Escondido Boulevard near Ninth Avenue, Escondido Fire Department spokesperson Jeff Murdock said. Fire crews needed about 30 minutes to knock down the flames after requesting additional units as part of a second alarm.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Murdock said.
The smoke shop, one of three businesses that share the building, was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, Murdock said. Inside the business, fire crews heard explosions that they later determined were the eruptions of small butane oil cans that are used to fill lighters.
“The smoke shop is a total loss,” Murdock said. The next-door unit had “extensive smoke damage” and a minivan parked outside the smoke shop also sustained damage.
A liquor store that shares the building was undamaged and able to reopen within a few hours, once power was restored, according to Murdock.
Around 8:30 p.m., as fire crews continued to work at the scene, a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs crashed into a police pickup truck and another parked vehicle after driving through the temporarily closed intersection at South Escondido Boulevard and Seventh Avenue, police Lt. Lee Stewart said.
A patrol technician who had helped set up traffic cones and keep bystanders away from the fire was inside the parked truck, which is equipped with a bar of yellow lights and is used to help control traffic, Stewart said. She sustained injuries of unknown severity and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, Stewart said.
Firefighters from San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe and San Diego responded to assist the Escondido fire crews, Murdock said. Firefighters were expected to be at the scene until at least 9:30 p.m.
